week cap...

yay... i have two days off. and one is a Sunday! score.
well, life has been...well, it's life. and i don't say that in a bad way, with any negative connotations whatsoever. it's good. i've been realizing alot. and that's always a good thing.
like, "hey! why do i get so miserable when i miss my far away friends (aka my faf)? i should be so happy that i have been so blessed to know all of these wonderful people. they have all played a hugely positive part in my life, so why should that make me sad?" yeah, simple/silly revelations, yet so important and true. and how i need to grasp such gems of truth with both hands. (by the way, the first picture is of my closest friends at Providence, and the second, my other sistersandbrother/YWAM team, pre-China trip (minus Norwalkvirusstricken Hannah)...man, i love these people!)
moving on, i was reading My Utmost For His Highest (a daily devo) today, and it really spoke to me. please indulge me as i share a bit by my friend Ozzy (aka Oswald Chambers):
discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. walking on water is easy to someone with impulsive boldness, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is something altogether different...we do not need the grace of God to withstand crises -- human nature and pride are sufficient for us to face the stress and strain magnificently. but it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint, going through drudgery, and living an ordinary, unnoticed, and ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. it is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God -- but we do not. we have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people...
yeah, that was huge for me today. sometimes i find it so easy to forget that God made me human. yeah, i'm allowed to screw up. and make mistakes. i'm not perfect. i'm normal(ish). and God is God, and we should leave our roles that way. sometimes i (mentally) beat myself up about "not doing the right thing," but God's grace never ends. His mercies are new every morning. great is Thy faithfulness! wow...and it is always good to get a nice swift kick in the pants/reminder such as this. and i hope it was encouraging to someone else too. man, this Oswald is one intellectual/spiritually adept fellow...
ok, last thought. i'm reading Captivating again. yeah, and i'm super excited about it. random info: i just finished I Kissed Dating Goodbye (no, i'm not dating anyone right now. but it was interesting to read, and it was surprisingly applicable to many relationships in life...). yeah, so i was planning on quoting a piece or two from Captivating to give you a few for it, but 1) it's hard to pick just one quote 2) i want to encourage everyone to read it, especially women, since that is who it was written for. it really is an amazing book that has helped me to realize who i am created to be/become. yeah, that and alot more. basically, it's amazing. and if i had a book club like Oprah, this would be the first one on the list. heck, i'm sure O would love this one too! yeah, it's great. (hmm...i wonder if they'll give me any money for publicly endorsing it...) but really, go out and buy it, it's worth your money. (except if it's your birthday soon...) ok, done with that. well for now. i'm sure you'll hear me ranting/raving about it again in the very near future. ok, done.
but, i should go to bed now. it technically is already Sunday, and i want to have some sleep, as i have done morning shifts four days in a row...bed time. when i was little, i never would've guessed that someday i'd be so excited about this time of the day...